From left: Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and map rendering of Manhattan Greenway plan

The East River waterfront is set to be transformed into continuous parkland and recreational space along the East Side that will rival the Hudson waterfront, the New York Times reported, following a number of important announcements by the Bloomberg administration, including the conversion of Pier 42 into open space and the opening of Pier 15. But the vital turning point may come in the form of the United Nations East River esplanade deal. Following the announcement of Bloomberg’s 20-year plan for the waterfront, unveiled in March, the most significant development may be an as-yet unlinked deal with the U.N., the Times said. [more]

From left: St. Saviour’s site, City Council member Elizabeth Crowley and a rendering of the park that was slated to be built on the site

Desperate for green space in Maspeth, the city wanted to turn the site of a former historic church into a public park, but the New York Daily News reported it will instead pursue land about a quarter of the size of the church site.

The original space was the former home of St. Saviour’s Church, a circa 1847 structure at 57-40 58th Street built by the same architect that designed the Trinity Church in Manhattan. But Queens Borough President Helen Marshal and local Council member Elizabeth Crowley secured $4 million to buy the property and rebuild and preserve the church, whose pieces remain stashed away in two trailers. [more]

Parks Department commissioner Adrian Benepe and a rendering of the Finger Building in WilliamsburgThe very same measures the city put in place to spur residential development in Williamsburg are coming back to haunt it as it tries to fulfill parkland promises to residents near the hated “Finger Building,” according to the New York Times.

The 200-foot-tall building, located at 144 North 8th Street, managed to be grandfathered in after the city rezoned large portions of Williamsburg and Greenpoint to reduce the height of buildings off the waterfront to 60 feet. But the larger purpose of the rezoning was to encourage inland development, which would have brought thousands more residents to an area that was already short on public green space. As a result, the city had promised a 28-acre patch of land to the community, which it would turn into a park.
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From left: One Sutton Place South (credit: PropertyShark) and an overhead view of its backyard (credit: Google Maps)The residents of the co-op at 1 Sutton Place South have ended a 10-year battle with the city over a portion of their backyard overlooking the East River. The New York Times reported that residents of the 13-story building, located between 56th and 57th streets, have agreed to share the 10,000-square-foot patch of the building’s elevated backyard with the city and transform it into a community park. Each party will contribute $1 million to the construction of the park. [more]

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated a Department of Parks and Recreation center and a
St. Francis College campus building landmarks
today, the New York Times reported. The recreation center, at 342-348
East 54th street, was formerly a public bathhouse, built between 1901 and

1914 as part of a campaign to encourage tenement residents to bathe. It
ceased to exist as a bathhouse in the 1930s, and now serves as an athletic facility with indoor basketball courts, a running track and a
pool. The eight-story St. Francis building at 176 Remsen Street in Downtown
Brooklyn used to headquarter the Brooklyn Union Gas Company. [NYT]

The Department of Parks and Recreation is no longer counting on a fundraising plan that would have sold off the naming rights to city-owned properties like the McCarren Park pool and the Central Park tennis center. According to the Post, the agency removed the plan from the budget last week because of a dearth of prospective bidders. “It’s not a viable idea in this economic climate,” Benepe said. “We don’t budget for what we can’t attain.”  [more]

Around 300 community gardens located on city-owned land will be preserved under new regulations from the Department of Parks Recreation, provided that they are registered and licensed with the city, according to a final version of the rules released yesterday. The provision represents a concession to gardeners by the city, according to the Wall Street Journal. The city had wanted to retain control over the spaces in case it ever needs them for different purposes, while gardeners have been lobbying to make their creations permanent. A draft of the new regulations was released last month, prompting ire from the gardeners, who subsequently made their displeasure known at a public hearing. The revised rules, which take effect in 30 days, specify that “new gardens may be created and will have the same protections as existing gardens” and that failing gardens will have nine months to get back on track. [WSJ]

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The Astoria Park Pool, the landmarked but run-down center that was a favorite of master city planner Robert Moses, is finally due for a multimillion-dollar refurbishment — its first since 1961. The pool, which opened in 1936 and was one of 11 new outdoor pools that Moses oversaw at the time, was the host of the final swimming, water polo and diving trials for the U.S. Olympic teams in 1936 and 1964. The Olympic-sized swimming and diving pools, which have views of the Hell Gate and Triborough bridges, haven’t been used since 1980. At a public meeting earlier this month, community members floated ideas for year-round uses of the space including an amphitheater, bowling alley, ice skating and hockey rinks, and a restoration of the original pools. Rogers Marvel Architects is overseeing the project, for which $2.5 million has already been raised by City Council member Peter Vallone Jr. and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. The city is putting $50,000 toward the master plan, which is slated to be finalized by the end of the year. [NYDN]

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The Astoria Park Pool, the landmarked but run-down center that was a favorite of master city planner Robert Moses, is finally due for a multimillion-dollar refurbishment — its first since 1961. The pool, which opened in 1936 and was one of 11 new outdoor pools that Moses oversaw at the time, was the host of the final swimming, water polo and diving trials for the U.S. Olympic teams in 1936 and 1964. The Olympic-sized swimming and diving pools, which have views of the Hell Gate and Triborough bridges, haven’t been used since 1980. At a public meeting earlier this month, community members floated ideas for year-round uses of the space including an amphitheater, bowling alley, ice skating and hockey rinks, and a restoration of the original pools. Rogers Marvel Architects is overseeing the project, for which $2.5 million has already been raised by City Council member Peter Vallone Jr. and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. The city is putting $50,000 toward the master plan, which is slated to be finalized by the end of the year. [NYDN]

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After committing to play their first two seasons at Long Island’s
Hofstra University, a new expansion soccer team called F.C. New York is
looking to build a 9,000-seat arena in Queens. The team, which has
discussed possible sites in Jamaica or Governors Island with Department
of Parks & Recreation officials, wants a stadium that is easily
accessible by several subways lines and has adequate parking. “We want
to play soccer in the best venue possible,” said Doug Peterson,
president of F.C. New York. “To get a franchise you need to have a
proper stadium, and we’d prefer to play in Queens.” [more]